Asteroid named for UW research scientist

A University of Washington professor has an unusual namesake – a so-called minor planet circling the sun between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars.

Keith Holsapple

The asteroid named for Keith Holsapple, a professor with the UW’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, was recently discovered in the solar system’s main asteroid belt. Holsapple didn’t discover the asteroid; he’s being honored for a long record of service as a researcher for the Tuscon-based Planetary Science Institute.

Here’s a statement from PSI:

20360 Holsapple honors Keith A. Holsapple, a PSI senior scientist and professor of engineering at the University of Washington. He is recognized for his work in modeling the response of planetary and asteroidal material to stress and shock. Holsapple also has developed scaling laws for cratering and has explored the relationship between asteroidal shape, spin rate and internal strength.

It’s no walk in the park getting an asteroid named after you. Before the asteroid could be christened Holsapple, the name had to be approved by the International Astronomical Union.